Paul Jacobson

Ever wonder about life on other planets?  What would those creatures look like?  A group of scientists have come up with a few ideas based on a very clear picture of a hypothetical planet.  The end result of their work is a TV show called "Extraterrestrial" which aired recently on National Geographic (I am not sure where it aired though):

Flying whales, giant tree-like animals and "gulphogs" are just a few of the creatures dreamt up by a team of scientists whose mission was to imagine realistic forms that life on other planets might take.

The product of the group's work--a TV special called "Extraterrestrial"--airs for the first time Monday night on the National Geographic channel. The show details a supposed planet called Aurelia, its habitable moon and their residents.

"Every detail of these aliens has been worked out," says the narrator in a preview of the show. "Height, weight, shape and interactions were all designed in minute detail."

So what is Aurelia like? Well, it orbits a red star, with one side always facing that star, and the other side bathed in darkness. The world's dominant life forms are tree-like animals called "stinger fans" that, like plants, harvest energy from sunlight, but like animals, can move around and are often "shoving others for a prime position in the sun."

The stinger fans' neighbors include the gulphogs--predators tall as giraffes. The "skywhales," on the other hand, are native to Aurelia's moon. Its low gravity and dense atmosphere make it the perfect spot for their kind: bulky beasts with a wingspan of 33 feet.

Take a look at Missing Links for the links to the preview for the show as well as a gallery of images from the show.